AT 105 years young, Brisbane’s Samuel “Mick” Mullins has lived through the Great Depression, a world war and more than a century of extraordinary change, but his independence and sense of humour remain as strong as ever.
The Cannon Hill resident celebrated his remarkable 105th birthday earlier this month, surrounded by four generations of family, with another milestone in a life filled with resilience, hard work and treasured memories.
Born in 1921, Mick has witnessed the world transform in ways few could imagine, yet he continues to live independently in the Cannon Hill home he and his late wife Georgina built six decades ago.
And while reaching 105 is an achievement in itself, Mick says one of the more amusing parts of growing older is having people question whether his date of birth is correct.
“People get very surprised when they see my date of birth – I went to an appointment and the lady thought my birth year was wrong!”
Growing up in Ascot during the Great Depression, Mick remembers a childhood far removed from the comforts many Australians enjoy today.
“We lived just around the corner from the old picture theatre and I ended up selling lollies, peanuts and chocolates there when I was nine or 10,” he recalled.
His working life began at just 14 after his grandfather encouraged his mother to enter him in the railway examinations for lad porters.
“Of all those that sat for it, I think I ran third and all three of us started work on the same day – 21st December 1935, when I was 14 years old.”
Seven years into his railway career, Mick found himself working south of Brisbane during the Second World War, where a chance visit would change his life forever.
It was his 21st birthday, and he was working at Logan Village when he decided to catch a train to nearby Jimboomba to visit a young woman named Georgina.
“She was at Jimboomba, the next station up and there was a train coming through so I thought I’ll just go up and see her.”
The couple became engaged on February 15 and married exactly one year later, in 1944.
More than 60 years later, Mick remains in the family home, supported by visits from Bolton Clarke Home and Community Support team.
